In Greek mythology

Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...

, Cerambus, son of Eusiros (himself son of Poseidon

Poseidon

Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...

) and the nymph Eidothea, was a survivor of Deucalion

Deucalion

In Greek mythology Deucalion was a son of Prometheus and Pronoia. The anger of Zeus was ignited by the hubris of the Pelasgians, and he decided to put an end to the Bronze Age. Lycaon, the king of Arcadia, had sacrificed a boy to Zeus, who was appalled by this savage offering...

's flood: he was said to have been raised above the water by the nymphs, thus escaping death. He dwelt at Mount Othrys and owned a large herd of cattle.

Cerambus was renowned as the greatest singer of his times: he was credited with inventing the shepherd's pipes, as well as with introducing lyre

Lyre

The lyre is a stringed musical instrument known for its use in Greek classical antiquity and later. The word comes from the Greek "λύρα" and the earliest reference to the word is the Mycenaean Greek ru-ra-ta-e, meaning "lyrists", written in Linear B syllabic script...

-playing and composing a number of delightful songs. This was why the nymphs of Mount Othrys favored him, and even became visible to him as he was playing his lyre. The honors, however, made Cerambus arrogant to the point of insanity: when Pan advised him to drive his cattle down to the plain, due to an extremely severe winter being expected, Cerambus wouldn't listen down to him. Moreover, he told insulting tales of the nymphs, claiming that they descended not from Zeus

Zeus

In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...

, but from Spercheus

Spercheus

In Greek mythology, Spercheus or Spercheios was the name of a river in Thessaly , and of the god of that river. According to Antoninus Liberalis, Cerambus was punished for claiming that the nymphs of Mount Othrys were daughters of Spercheus by Deino...

 and Deino, and that when Poseidon fell for one of the nymphs, Diopatra, he changed her sisters into poplar trees but restored their original shape after satisfying his desires. The nymphs were scorned and transformed Cerambus into a wood-gnawing beetle Cerambyx

Cerambyx

Cerambyx is a genus of beetle in the family Cerambycidae . They are commonly known as capricorn beetles, as their strong, stout and curved antennae, each segment of which flares towards the tip, are reminiscent of the horns of an Alpine Ibex or "capricorn".This genus contains approximately 30...

; his cattle was gone when the winter struck.